STATE OF TALENT IN CANADA
Job Seekers Have the Upper Hand
The pandemic once again upends Canada’s labour market. This time, job seekers have the upper hand. As the threat of Covid falls amid a boost in vaccinations, employers struggle to fill immediate need positions. Competition to attract top talent is intense, with quality job seekers routinely receiving multiple offers. It’s too early to tell with certainty if the mismatch between supply and demand will increase wages, but at first blush, that appears to be the case.
Talent Shortage
The Canadian economy faces a talent shortage, with many industries struggling to find, hire, and retain top talent.
Businesses operate differently. A remote workforce requires a different set of skills than an in-person workforce.
Canadians experienced burnout last year. Workers did more with less and may have not been given raises or promotions despite increased workloads.
Career shifts are common. For those in hard-hit industries (i.e. hospitality, tourism), many look to move onto something more “secure.” For those in high-demand industries (i.e. healthcare, technology), some look to move onto something less exacting.
Executive Search Sector Poised for Exceptional Growth
Home to diverse industries, Canada is an ideal home base for executive recruiters. At the onset of Covid, many firms confirmed engagements would be put on hold or canceled. Experts now predict a “slow but solid” recovery for the sector. Hiring is on its way to pre-pandemic levels, and if trends continue, we can expect to see a surge in open positions in the second half of 2021.
M+B’s Take
The Case for Promoting Women
In the “Case for Promoting Women” white paper, we explore the strategic benefits of placing women in leadership positions, share a brief history of women in business, and suggest what can be done to expedite progress, boost profitability, and increase innovation.
Heather Cameron, Director of Talent Acquisition + Operations and Mackenzie Jones, Research Associate
FUTURE OF A HYBRID WORKFORCE
“I’ve been talking to a lot of my clients and senior executives in Life Sciences about what the new workforce will look like. From these conversations, leaders and employees seem to be equally spread in favor of fully remote work, fully in-office work, and a hybrid model of both.”
Jake Vander Zanden, M+B Partner
GLOBAL TRENDS
Workforce Trends of 2021
Integrating Well-Being into Work
Employers are implementing policies to empower workers to better integrate their personal and professional lives.
Working Flexibility
Many employees prove to be just as productive at home. Covid expedited a trend to normalize remote work and flexible arrangements.
Implementing an Agile Mindset
Organizations focus on offering consistent learning and development to allow for a highly agile workforce. Talented workers will be increasingly interested in working for companies that offer learning and development opportunities.
Integrating Humans + Technology to Reimagine Work
Leaders shift away from the idea of optimizing through automation and are considering instead how to best integrate humans with technology to drive growth.
Changing Teams
Organizations have implemented systems that ensure teams change. This keeps folks connected to colleagues they don’t regularly work with, boosting overall collaboration and connectivity.
FEATURED PLACEMENT
Kevin Hoffman, Chief Executive Officer, Vanprop Investments
McDermott + Bull Canada places Kevin Hoffman as Chief Executive Officer at Vanprop Investments, a privately owned real estate development company based in Richmond, BC. Vanprop is undertaking the single largest project in Richmond to date – a 4.5M sq ft redevelopment that will transform the area into a vibrant, mixed-use masterplan, including homes for 10,000 residents, parks, retail and restaurants, and entertainment and amenities.
Hoffman will help set the strategic direction of VanProp and will monitor the overall performance of the Lansdowne project. Hoffman has 20+ years of experience in construction and real estate development. Before joining Vanprop, he spent over 10 years at Aquilini Development and Construction, most recently as President and SVP.
This search was completed by Managing Partner, Paul Gibbons.
RECENT M+B HIRES
Faye Laviolette
Principal, M+B Canada
I’m excited to grow McDermott + Bull’s footprint as we expand into Calgary. I know what ‘different’ looks like in this industry, and M+B’s platform is like nothing I have seen before. Everything from our systems and technologies to our Lean Six Sigma practices enables us to serve our clients in nearly half the time of the industry average.
Faye is a member of the firm’s Industrial Practice. She brings over 15 years of experience in executive search and human resources and specializes in delivering best-in-class executive-level talent across North America. Her practice focuses primarily on the energy and natural resources sectors, in addition to the technology, consumer, and professional services industries.
Kate Klarich
Search Consultant, M+B Canada
I am so thrilled to be a part of McDermott + Bull’s Canadian search team. Leaning into my 10+ years of diverse experience in recruitment, executive administration, and legal allows me not only a seat at the table with some of the very best in the business, but to truly put my unique stamp on leading successful searches. I am excited to continue the journey, and be an integral member of our limitlessly growing success.
Kate is responsible for the full scope of search execution, including recruitment, candidate development, and assessment. With over 10 years of diverse experience in recruitment, executive administration, and legal, she brings a unique and varied skill set to the Canadian team.
A NOTE FROM M+B
In 2019, McDermott + Bull embarked on a momentous transformation project aftermarket research highlighted clients see value in executive search services but believe the industry average of 130 days to close is too long. We embarked on a firmwide Lean Six Sigma Certification process with a goal to reduce our average time to close to 60 days. We deconstructed our process from end-to-end identifying redundancies, inefficiencies, and non-value-added tasks and re-engineered it focusing exclusively on activities that create value for our clients, improve client service, and drive outcomes.
After 2 years, we have reduced our average time to close by 33%, observed a 14% increase in return clients, and strengthened client satisfaction scores. Our Partners take comfort in knowing their clients receive industry-leading processes and search delivery services. We continue making strides toward our 60-day objective utilizing Lean Six Sigma as a roadmap to improve critical business processes. In spring 2021, McDermott + Bull was awarded the Lean Institute Crystal Award acknowledging our project’s results and successes.
If you’d like to learn more about this, please reach out – we’d love to hear from you.
Heather Cameron
Director of Talent Acquisition + Operations
hcameron@mbexec.ca